What is a potential downside of having credentials spread throughout an organization?

Having credentials spread throughout an organization can significantly complicate access and authorization tracking. When credentials are distributed among various systems, applications, or departments, it creates a fragmented landscape where monitoring and auditing access becomes far more challenging. This fragmentation increases the complexity of identifying who has access to what resources, making it difficult to enforce security policies effectively.

Moreover, with credentials scattered across multiple locations, the risk of stale or outdated access rights proliferates, leading to potential security vulnerabilities. Administrators may struggle to keep track of all the places where credentials are used and need to implement complex processes to manage them, potentially overlooking unauthorized access or misuse.

In contrast, consolidating credential management can lead to enhanced control and streamlined auditing processes, allowing for better oversight and quicker identification of any security issues. Therefore, the downside of spread-out credentials emphasizes the key aspect of access and authorization tracking complications that arise in such scenarios.